A receptionist is an employee of an organization that typically greets visitors, responds to visitor inquiries, answers telephone calls, performs an access control function and helps to direct visitors to their desired destination within the organization. A number of techniques have been proposed or suggested for automating one or more of the functions that have traditionally been performed by a live receptionist. For example, an automated attendant (often referred to as a virtual receptionist) allows callers to be automatically transferred to a telephone extension without interacting with a live operator or receptionist. Many automated attendant systems provide a menu system where callers can press an indicated number to reach a desired destination, such as a sales department or a service department.
Nonetheless, a need remains for a system that allows an individual, referred to herein as a host user, in a working environment, such as an individual office or a cubicle, to have a personalized, automated receptionist. For example, the automated receptionist can assist a visitor even when the host user is not present and can provide one or more of the functions that are typically performed by a live receptionist.